There are many definitions of biotechnology. It has been described as including any technique that uses living organisms to make or modify products, to improve plants or animals or to develop microorganisms for specific uses. It has also been defined as the industrial exploitation of biological systems or processes. In its broadest sense, biotechnology refers to the use of living systems to develop products. New scientific discoveries are allowing us to better understand fundamental life processes at the cellular and molecular level. Now we can improve selected attributes of microbes, plants, or animals for human use by making precise genetic changes that were not possible with traditional methods.
Given the opportunities that exist in this sector, the presence of trained manpower, strong knowledge base and rich bio-diversity in India, there is little wonder that more and more Indian companies are seriously eyeing this sector. Technology innovation in the life sciences sector is rapid and constant. Thus for biotech companies to survive their current business models, they must pursue profits through products and services, which reflect this rapid rate of change.
Biotechnology has a vast application area, some prominent ones are
Microbes: improve the functionality of key food ingredients, such as enzymes
Plants: enhance to ability of plants to fight disease and pests, remove allergens from food
Animals: enhance the ability of livestock & pets to overcome disease and maintain health
Humans: anticipate & intervene earlier in a disease through new medicines
The Human Genome Project signals a paradigm shift for the global pharmaceutical industry in its search for critical drug discoveries. To take advantage of the opportunities afforded by genomics, several well established Indian pharmaceutical companies such as Nicholas Piramal India Ltd, Ranbaxy Laboratories and Dr Reddy’s Laboratories have decided to enter this fast growing sector.
Bioinformatics is another interdisciplinary research area, which may be defined as the interface between biological and computational sciences. Thus, the people working in this field in most cases either have training in biology or computer science, and they learned about the other field by dealing with problems or using the tools of the other one. This sector is facing a shortage of manpower not only because it is difficult to get people with the right expertise but also because the nature, ethics and methodology of these fields of study distinctly vary.
The main hurdle in this industry is it is highly capital intensive. It is estimated that in US alone, 950 biotechnology firms are in existence as of date and their R&D budget varies from 1000 US$ to 700 million US$.
Faboil Ltd has evolved into a relatively successful organisation in the biotechnology field. The success of the company and its paternal approach was adopted by Dr Alfred Brownlow. Dr Brownlow has led from the front in terms of developing the product range for Faboil Ltd. Richard Cranberry (Director of Biotechnology) has driven very hard to maintain the success of the company, although the organisation lag behind in terms of modus operandi technology. At present, the monopoly position of Faboil Ltd has slowly eroded away and faces two competitors. The major causes are that the new products have failed to live up to market expectations and it is at a backward stage only holding a 20% market share. This report will find the causes of issues in the company and give ideas and resolutions on how to fix the problem.
In the late twentieth century, the field of biotechnology and genetic engineering has positioned itself to become one of the great technological revolutions of human history. Yet, things changed when Herber Boyer, a biochemist at the University of California, founded the company Genentech in 1976 to exploit the commercial potential of his research. Since then the field has exploded into a global amalgam of private research firms developing frivolous, profit-hungry products, such as square trees tailor-made for lumber, without any sort of government regulation.
Many people feel that biology has become more advanced than physics. Biology has in fact become the new focus of the future as we tend to use it a lot in our daily lives. The study of Biotechnology is known as the branch of molecular biology that studies the use of microorganisms to perform specific industrial processes. This study shows that our lives can be transformed.
Moore, Patrick. “Battle for Biotech Progress.” The American Enterprise (March 2004). 3 April 2006 .
Nucleon is a small biotechnology start-up with a very promising potential product (CRP-1), which is also the first product that Nucleon is planning to go into the clinic market. Nucleon has reached to human clinical trials phase with its product and it has no manufacturing facilities that satisfy the guidelines for these clinical trials and testing. Nucleon is on the verge of making a critical choice of manufacturing strategy, which will affect Nucleon’s survival in the intense competition in the long haul. Nucleon management is aware of the facts that they have a limited budget to start with, the financial environment in biotechnology is rapidly changing and establishing the safety and efficacy of products like CRP-1 is complex, time-consuming and expensive; that’s why they want to evaluate risks and rewards of each manufacturing strategy before making their final decision.
Since its inception in 1981, Genzyme transformed from a start-up firm to a fully developed biotech company. The company’s major focus has been on orphan drugs and with its FIPCO (Fully Integrated Pharmaceutical Company) model, Genzyme worked to build and integrate different parts of its value chain. For a long time, this direction worked very well for the company. Orphan drugs represented a niche market that had minimal competition, besides the fact that there was an increased prevalence of rare diseases around the globe and most of the affected people were willing to pay huge amount to improve their standard of living. This resulted in positive financial results for Genzyme, which has been ranked one of the most respected companies globally.
Located in South San Francisco, CA, Genentech was started in 1976 by a biochemist Dr. Herbert Boyer and Robert A. Swanson. From 1995-2009 Arthur Levinson had become the CEO of Genentech; presently it is Ian T. Clark. Genentech is a leading biotechnology company, using human genetic information to discover, develop, manufacture and commercialize medicines to treat people with serious or life-threatening medical conditions (2014). Biotechnology is the technology based on the science of cellular and biomolecular processes to develop technologies and products that help improve peoples’ lives and the health of our environment. How biotechnology uses cellular and biomolecular processes are by using molecular mechanisms by which genetic and metabolic processes occur in plant, animal, and microbial organisms. By using this technology it provides breakthrough products and technologies to combat debilitating and rare diseases, reduce our environment footprint, feed the hungry, use less and cleaner energy, and have safer and cleaner and more efficient industrial manufacturing processes. The many factors they are trying to prevent in our environment overall affects our human health. Genentech provides products in the areas of immunology, oncology, and disorders of tissue growth and repair. For example, scientists are finding ways to prevent the spreading of cancerous cell tissue growth of metastatic breast cancer.
In modern times the use of the word – biotechnology- has reach epidemic proportions. Many days it feels as though you can’t walk down an aisle in the supermarket or turn on the news without hearing about “genetically engineered crops!”, non GMO chips or non GMO snacks. But what exactly is Biotechnology? Are GMOs the future? And if GMOs and Biotechnology are the future, should I be worried about my health or the health of my loved ones?
7. Very low level of Biotechnology in India and also for New Drug Discovery Systems.
Biotechnology is a growth field that consists of the use of biological systems or living organisms in which technology is developed and applied1. Take a look at IBB in figure 1 below it shows an increasing upward trend in the past 5 years showing the fast expansion and growth of the bio sector. One of the significance and importance of biotechnology is that it covers almost every field. The application of biotechnology can be used for industrial, agricultural and medical purposes. The study of microorganisms and particles can be beneficial to mankind. With a clear understanding of internal body composition and molecular behaviour, vaccines and medications can be produced to treat diseases and conditions. Fruits and vegetables can be modified to grow faster, taste better, resist different temperatures, repels insects, etc2. Although biotechnology has the potential to affect modern society and have a positive impact on the environment, the misuse of such technology can lead to devastating consequences and side effects. The creation of bioweapons, food toxicity, errors in products and many ethical issues are also to be considered with the development of such technology. However, the upside and potential breakthrough in this technology could feed the hungry, reduce environmental or human footprint, develop cleaner and more efficient energy sources, etc. On top of this, the emerging applications in the biotech sector is creating plenty of opportunities for businesses that offer biotech related services for other organisations to make use of3. Examples of these applications and subjects include combinatorial chemistry, bioinformatics, biochips, proteomics and high-throughput screening. However on of the most looked at, compelling and c...
One of the most important subjects in science is biotechnology. The use of organisms, living systems, or parts of organisms is what biotechnology is all about. Biotechnology involves manipulating nature in order to make systems, products, or environments for human or other species. We can 't argue the fact that biotechnology has played a big role in scientific research, for it has modified plants, humans, organisms, etc. Biotechnology is all around us and in our everyday lives, from the clothes on our back , the chemicals we use to clean them with, the food we consume, the medicine we use to treat each other, even the fuel we use to get to our destination.
For the biotechnology industry, the future is now. Biotech companies are producing new and improved drugs, mapping the genome, and creating artificial organs and body parts. The advent of these new products will increase the quality of life for those who have access to them. Advancements in the biotechnology field have received a lot attention by the press and publications. They have given the impression that it is almost imperative to learn about this fairly new field of study.
Biotechnology helps in protecting the environment,It provides crops with protection from viruses and insects by reducing the number of pesticid...
The various industrial exposers prompted me to obtain higher degree (MS and Ph.D) and to explore the untapped fields in biotechnology which may prove beneficial to the industry and ultimately to human kinds at large. Hopefully, I find your kind consideration to fulfill my desires to grow in the research field that would help me in working on the field of my interest.
The myriad mysteries of science can be unraveled by the emerging technologies including Biotechnology. Science has always been my interest and forte thus, the choice of Biotechnology as my academic option was the ideal decision. I had prepared for the highly competitive entrance exam AIET to get admission into the integrated Masters Degree in Biotechnology and Bioinformatics at Dr. D.Y. Patil University and secured 87th all over India rank and was proud to gain admission to this venerated university. The academic curriculum has introduced me to amazing subjects like ‘Microbiology’, ‘Molecular Biology’, ‘Biochemistry’, ‘Genetics’ and ‘Industrial Biotechnology’. Although many seminal biological events have been explained in theory during the past century, the technology to harness their potential for benefiting humankind has only been possible during the past few decades. This is testament to the great improvements in biotechnologies and I am glad to be a part of this grand scientific experience.